Furniture hinge

ABSTRACT

A furniture hinge consisting of a cup-shaped fitting and an arm which is pivotably connected thereto and may be removably secured to a plate which by means of a pair of elongated apertures therein may be plugged on the headed projecting ends of a pair of pins which may be mounted in bores in a furniture wall, and the plate may then be shifted in a perpendicular direction and will thereby be wedged tightly against the furniture wall.

States Patet 1 Uni te Naske 1 May 8,1973

[ FURNITURE HINGE [75] Inventor: Christoph Naske, Froschhausen, Germany[73] Assignee: WHB-Anbaumobel von Poschinger K. G., Murnau, Germany 22Filed: Apr. 24, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 31,584

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 8,1969 Germany ..P 19 34581.4

[52] US. Cl ..16/163 [51] Int. Cl. r ..E05d3/06 [58] Field of Search..16/163, 164,149,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1965 Hcinze 16/163 4/1920Goodwin ..248/224 1,633,916 6/1927 Zoufal ..16/149 3,516,637 6/1970Lawson ..248/477 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 248,280 7/1966 Austria16/163 441,036 1/1968 Switzerland... .,16/l63 699,699 12/1940 Germany16/149 Primary Examiner-Francis K. Zugel Assistant Examiner-Doris L.Troutman Attorney-Craig, Antonelli & Hill [57] ABSTRACT A furniturehinge consisting of a cup-shaped fitting and an arm which is pivotablyconnected thereto and may be removably secured to a plate which by meansof a pair of elongated apertures therein may be plugged on the headedprojecting ends of a pair of pins which may be mounted in bores in afurniture wall, and the plate may then be shifted in a perpendiculardirection and will thereby be wedged tightly against the furniture wall.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures FURNITURE HINGE The present inventionrelates to a furniture hinge which comprises a cup-shaped fitting whichis adapted to be secured to a door, and an arm which is pivotablymounted on the cup-shaped fitting and is adjustable by means of at leastone screw on a base plate which is provided with a guide for the arm andat the opposite sides of the guide with a pair of apertures for securingthe plate to the side wall of a cabinet or the like.

The known furniture hinges of this type are of two differentconstructions. One kind of these hinges has a strip-shaped base platewhich is provided at its center with a tapped bore and a pair ofapertures at the opposites of this bore into which screws may beinserted for screwing the plate to a side wall of a cabinet or the like.Near one end of this strip-shaped plate the latter is further providedwith a further tapped bore into which a screw is screwed which permitsthe hinge arm to be adjusted to an inclined position relative to theplate. The other kind of these hinges has a hinge arm which is providedwith an aperture of a shape similar to a key-hole which extends in thelongitudinal direction of the arm and permits a screw on the plate to beslipped into the aperture and to be shifted longitudinally therein,whereupon the screw may be screwed into the plate to secure the arm in afixed position relative to the plate. This plate is provided like thestrip-shaped plate as previously described with a guide for the hingearm and with an aperture at each side of this guide for securing theplate by a pair of screws to a side wall of a cabinet or the like. Thescrew for adjusting the arm to an inclined position relative to theplate is in this case provided in the arm.

After the cup-shaped fitting of either of these hinges has been securedto a door, it is further necessary to screw the base plate which has tobe connected to the hinge arm to a side wall of the cabinet or the like.It is therefore necessary first to drill holes into the side wall of thecabinet into which dowels are inserted, and then to screw the plate tothese dowels. These operations require considerable time. Furthermore,such dowels have the disadvantage that they remain visible in the sidewalls of cabinets or the like when they are no longer needed, forexample, when the door hinges have been removed and then been mounted ina different position. Otherwise, these known furniture hinges haveproved very successful.

It is an object of the present invention to modify these known kinds offurniture hinges in a manner so as no longer to require screws forsecuring them to the side walls of cabinets or the like.

For supporting shelf boards on the side wall of cabinets or other piecesof furniture it is well-known in the art to provide such side walls withvertical parallel rows of bores into which plugs may be inserted whichare provided on one or both ends with projections upon like, and bydesigning these pins and the plate so as to permit the latter to besimply hooked over the projecting ends of the pins and thereby also tobe clamped tightly against the cabinet wall. It is therefore no longernecessary to screw these plates to a cabinet wall, but they may be verysimply clamped thereon and, if desired, also be easily removedtherefrom. For this purpose, the invention provides that each pin whichis secured in an already existing bore in the cabinet wall is providedwith a peripheral groove in its projecting end portion so that theactual end of the pin forms a head, and that in place of the apertureswhich were previously provided in the plate of the hinge for theinsertion of screws, these apertures are made of an elongated shape sothat when the plate is applied over the project.- ing ends of the pinsand is then shifted downwardly in a perpendicular direction relative tothe pins, the pins will slide toward the upper ends of the apertures andwill thereby clamp or wedge the plate against the cabinet wall. If forsome reason the hinge should again be removed from the cabinet wall, theplate only needs to be shifted upwardly and may then be taken off thepins. Thereafter, the two pins may also be removed from the bores of thecabinet wall and it will then no longer be possible to see on this wallthe position in which the hinge plate was previously secured.

At least one of these apertures in the plate is preferably made of ashape similar to a keyhole. When such a plate is mounted on the sidewall of a cabinet or the like, the wider part of such an aperture shouldform the lower end thereof. Although both apertures may be made of sucha keyhole-like shape, it is more advisable only to make that aperture ofsuch a shape which forms the upper one of the two apertures when theplate is in its mounted position, while the other, lower, apertureshould be made in the form of a slot which is open at its lower end. Theplate as seen in its perpendicular mounted position, may then be made ofa shorter length than it would have if both apertures were made of ashape similar to keyholes.

According to another feature of the invention, the surfaces directlyadjacent to at least the upper aperture along which the head of theassociated pin is slidable when the plate is being installed should beinclined so as to ascend toward the closed upper end of the aperture.These inclined surfaces will then exert a wedging action between theplate and the head of the pins, whereby the plate will be tightlyclamped against the cabinet wall. Finally, it is advisable to design theplate so that its two parts at the opposite sides of a line connectingthe two apertures are symmetrical.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become furtherapparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to beread with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 showsfor comparison with the invention a cross section of a furniture hingeof a known design;

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a base plate which is designed according tothe invention for a hinge similar to that as shown in FIG. 1;

F IG. 3 shows a cross section which is taken along the line lll "I ofFIG, 2; while HO. 4 shows a cross section which is taken along the lineIV IV of FIG. 2.

For comparison with the present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates afurniture hinge which is made according to a known design and consistsof a cup-shaped part 1 which is to be inserted into a bore in a door andis then to be secured to this door by two screws. The cupshaped part 1is pivotably connected by a pair of levers 2 and 3 to an arm 4 which maybe connected by a screw 5 to a base plate 6 which, in turn, is to besecured upon a side wall of a cabinet, wardrobe or the like, by means ofscrews which are to be inserted into bores 7 and 8 in base plate 6.Plate 6 further contains a setscrew 9 which permits the distance of thearm 4 from plate 6 to be varied.

In order to avoid the necessity of screwing such a base plate 6 upon aside wall ofa cabinet or the like, the present invention as illustratedin FIGS. 2 to 4 provides in place of the plate 6 a base plate 10 whichmay be, for example, of a circular shape. This base plate 10 is providedwith a strip-shaped projection 11 which is adapted to guide the hingearm 4 and is provided with two tapped bores 12 and 13 and with twogroups of knurls l4 and 15 on the upper side of the projection 11adjacent to the bores 12 and 13. These knurls l4 and 15 are operativelyassociated with a nose 16 on the end of the arm 4 of the known type ofhinge as shown in FIG. 1 and are adapted to prevent this arm 4 fromshifting relative to the base plate 10 after the screw 5 has beentightened. This screw 5 extends through a bore 17 in plate 10 which maybe threaded, although it is more advisable to secure the screw 5 toplate 10 by screwing it into a nut (not shown) which is nonrotatablymounted in plate 10.

For securing such a base plate 10 in the most suitable position to awall 19 of a cabinet or the like which is provided with parallel rows ofbores 18, a pair of pins 20 are inserted into two of these bores 18.Each of these pins 20 has at least in one projecting end portion aperipheral groove 21 which is spaced at a certain distance from therespective end of the pin so as to form a head 20' thereon. The otherend of each pin 20 is provided with a head or flange 22 which abutsagainst the other side of the cabinet wall 19. If, however, the

pins 20 should also serve for connecting other elements to this otherside of the cabinet wall 19, each pin 20 may be extended beyond theflange 22 and this extension may be likewise provided with a peripheralgroove 21 and a head 20'.

For securing the base plate 10 to the pins 20, it is provided with twoapertures 23 and 24, the first of which forming the upper aperture whenplate 10 is in its installed position has a shape similar to a keyhole.The enlarged part 23 of this aperture 23 which is similar to that asprovided in a keyhole for receiving the shank of a key preferablyextends coaxially to the bore 17. The narrower part 23" of the aperture23 has an inner width which is substantially equal to the diameter ofthe grooved part 21 of each pin 20. This width of the part 23 is made ofsuch a size that base plate 10 may be shifted easily and withoutconsiderable play relative to one of the pins 20. The head 20' at leastof the upper pin 20 rests on inclined surfaces 25 which ascend towardthe upper end of the aperture 23 so that, when plate 10 is shifteddownwardly in a perpendicular direction on the pins 20 to the positionas shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, these surfaces 25 will press tightly againstthe inner side of the head 20' and thereby clamp the plate 10 tightlyagainst the side wall 19 of a cabinet or the like. The other aperture 24forms a slot which is open at one end where it terminates into theperipheral surface of plate 10. This slot 24 has a shorter length thanthe keyhole-shaped aperture 23. After being slipped over two pins 20 andshifted in the longitudinal direction of the apertures, plate 10 willtherefore be securely clamped to the side wall 19.

In place of the slot-shaped aperture 24, it is also possible to providea keyhole-shaped aperture similar to the aperture 23, although this isnot as desirable since it would require plate 10 to be made of a largersize.

As illustrated particularly in FIG. 2, the base plate 10 is shapedsymmetrically to a line 26 connecting the two apertures 23 and 24. It istherefore made of a different shape than the base plate of the knowndesign which was shaped symmetrically to a line 27 which extends atright angles to the line 26.

If by means of a screw 5 an arm 4 is screwed in such a position uponbase plate 10 that the cup-shaped part 1 will be located at the left ofplate 10 as shown in FIG. 2, such a hinge may be secured in a certainposition on a door as well as on a side wall of a cabinet or the like.The setscrew 9 as shown in FIG. 1 should in this case be screwed intothe tapped bore 12 so as to permit the arm 4 to be adjusted to aninclined position relative to plate 10. If, however, the cup-shaped part1 has to be located at the right of plate 10 as shown in FIG. 2,setscrew 9 must be screwed into the tapped bore 13 in order to permitthe arm 4 to be adjusted to different inclined positions relative toplate 10.

Of course, aside from providing inclined wedging surfaces 25 at bothsides of the slot-shaped part of aperture 23, it is possible to providesuch inclined surfaces also at both sides of the aperture 24. However,in this case it is necessary to incline these surfaces in accordancewith the length of this aperture 24 so that plate 10 after it has beenshifted relative to the pins 20 will be properly clamped in a fixedposition also at its lower end.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with referenceto the preferred embodiment thereof, I wish to have it understood thatit is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment but is capableof numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a furniture hinge having a cup-shaped fitting adapted to besecured to a door of a cabinet or the like, and an arm pivotably mountedon said fitting adjustably secured by means of at least one screw to aplate having.

a guide for said arm and an aperture on each of the op? posite sides ofsaid guide for securing said plate to a side wall of said chambercabinet or the like, and further having at least one adjusting screw foradjusting the arm to an inclined position relative to said plate, theimprovement comprising a pair of pins adapted to' be removably insertedinto and locked in bores vertically above each other in said side walland each pin having a stem of a reduced diameter projecting from saidside wall and having a head on its free end, said apertures having anelongated shape so as to permit said plate to be applied over said headsand stems and then to be shifted perpendicularly downward in thelongitudinal direction of said apertures so that said stems slide alongsaid apertures and said heads overlap said apertures and press saidplate tightly against said side wall, wherein said plate includesadjusting screw openings at opposite sides of a longitudinally extendingdividing line interconnecting said apertures, said adjusting screwopenings including means for accepting said at least one adjusting screwand being symmetrically arranged with respect to said dividing line foraccommodating both right and left hand mountings of said plate.

2. A furniture hinge as defined in claim l, in which at least one ofsaid apertures has a shape similar to a keyhole having a wider partlocated at the lower side of said aperture when said plate is installedon said side wall.

3. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 2, in which said plate isinstalled on said side wall, the upper one of said apertures has a shapesimilar to a keyhole, while the lower aperture forms a slot having anopen lower end.

4. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, in which the outer surfacesof said plate adjacent to both sides of at least one of said aperturesare inclined so as to ascend toward the upper end of said aperture whensaid plate is installed.

5. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, wherein knurl means arearranged at opposite sides of said dividing line in a symmetrical mannerfor preventing shifting of a nose portion of said arm.

6. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, wherein said plate isconstructed symmetrically with respect to said dividing line.

7. An arrangement for attaching a base plate of a furniture hinge to aside wall of a cabinet or the like; said furniture'hinge being of thetype having a cup-shaped fitting adapted to be secured to a door of thecabinet or the like, an arm pivotably mounted on said fitting, said armbeing adjustably secured by at least one screw to a base plate; saidarrangement comprising two bores arranged vertically above one anotherin said side wall, a pair of unthreaded pins removably inserted intosaid bores, each of said pins having an outer end for engaging with saidbase plate and an inner end for engaging with said side wall, the outerends having a smaller cross-section than said bores so that they can bepassed through said bores during the insertion of the pins, said pinsincluding a middle portion having a cross-section slightly smaller thanthe cross-section of said bores, each of said outer ends including astem portion immediately adjacent the middle portion having acrosssection smaller than said middle portion and a head portion attheir extreme outer ends having a cross-section greater than said stemportion, said base plate including two apertures of elongated shape, atleast one of said apertures having a portion with a cross-section largerthan a corresponding head portion whereby said base plate can be appliedover said pins and can be shifted downwardly in the longitudinaldirection of said apertures to lock the base plate to the side wall bythe engagement of the head portions with edges of said apertures,wherein said plate includes adjusting screw openings for accommodatingat least one adjusting screw or ad usting the arm, said ad usting screwopenings being symmetrically arranged with respect to a longitudinaldividing line interconnecting said apertures for accommodating bothright and left hand mountings of said base plate.

8. An .arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that saidbores are cylindrical in shape and said pins are of stepped cylindricalshape, and in that the inner end of said pins includes an enlargedportion for abuttingly engaging said side wall.

9. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the edgesof said apertures have portions tapered in the upward direction forforce lockingly engaging with the head portions upon downward movementof the base plate in its installed position.

10. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein knurl means arearranged at opposite sides of said dividing line in a symmetrical mannerfor preventing shifting of a nose portion of said arm.

11. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said plate isconstructed symmetrically with respect to said dividing line.

1. In a furniture hinge having a cup-shaped fitting adapted to be secured to a door of a cabinet or the like, and an arm pivotably mounted on said fitting adjustably secured by means of at least one screw to a plate having a guide for said arm and an aperture on each of the opposite sides of said guide for securing said plate to a side wall of said chamber cabinet or the like, and further having at least one adjusting screw for adjusting the arm to an inclined position relative to said plate, the improvement comprising a pair of pins adapted to be removably inserted into and locked in bores vertically above each other in said side wall and each pin having a stem of a reduced diameter projecting from said side wall and having a head on its free end, said apertures having an elongated shape so as to permit said plate to be applied over said heads and stems and then to be shifted perpendicularly downward in the longitudinal direction of said apertures so that said stems slide along said apertures and said heads overlap said apertures and press said plate tightly against said side wall, wherein said plate includes adjusting screw openings at opposite sides of a longitudinally extending dividing line interconnecting said apertures, said adjusting screw openings including means for accepting said at least one adjusting screw and being symmetrically arranged with respect to said dividing line for accommodating both right and left hand mountings of said plate.
 2. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, in which at least one of said apertures has a shape similar to a keyhole having a wider part located at the lower side of said aperture when said plate is installed on said side wall.
 3. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 2, in which said plate is installed on said side wall, the upper one of said apertures has a shape similar to a keyhole, while the lower aperture forms a slot having an open lower end.
 4. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, in which the outer surfaces of said plate adjacent to both sides of at least one of said apertures are inclined so as to ascend toward the upper end of said aperture when said plAte is installed.
 5. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, wherein knurl means are arranged at opposite sides of said dividing line in a symmetrical manner for preventing shifting of a nose portion of said arm.
 6. A furniture hinge as defined in claim 1, wherein said plate is constructed symmetrically with respect to said dividing line.
 7. An arrangement for attaching a base plate of a furniture hinge to a side wall of a cabinet or the like; said furniture hinge being of the type having a cup-shaped fitting adapted to be secured to a door of the cabinet or the like, an arm pivotably mounted on said fitting, said arm being adjustably secured by at least one screw to a base plate; said arrangement comprising two bores arranged vertically above one another in said side wall, a pair of unthreaded pins removably inserted into said bores, each of said pins having an outer end for engaging with said base plate and an inner end for engaging with said side wall, the outer ends having a smaller cross-section than said bores so that they can be passed through said bores during the insertion of the pins, said pins including a middle portion having a cross-section slightly smaller than the cross-section of said bores, each of said outer ends including a stem portion immediately adjacent the middle portion having a cross-section smaller than said middle portion and a head portion at their extreme outer ends having a cross-section greater than said stem portion, said base plate including two apertures of elongated shape, at least one of said apertures having a portion with a cross-section larger than a corresponding head portion whereby said base plate can be applied over said pins and can be shifted downwardly in the longitudinal direction of said apertures to lock the base plate to the side wall by the engagement of the head portions with edges of said apertures, wherein said plate includes adjusting screw openings for accommodating at least one adjusting screw for adjusting the arm, said adjusting screw openings being symmetrically arranged with respect to a longitudinal dividing line interconnecting said apertures for accommodating both right and left hand mountings of said base plate.
 8. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that said bores are cylindrical in shape and said pins are of stepped cylindrical shape, and in that the inner end of said pins includes an enlarged portion for abuttingly engaging said side wall.
 9. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the edges of said apertures have portions tapered in the upward direction for force lockingly engaging with the head portions upon downward movement of the base plate in its installed position.
 10. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein knurl means are arranged at opposite sides of said dividing line in a symmetrical manner for preventing shifting of a nose portion of said arm.
 11. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said plate is constructed symmetrically with respect to said dividing line. 